Turbulent flow in an I–L junction: Impacts of the pipe diameter ratio

Abstract

Pipeline junction plays a pivotal role in fluid mixing for biomedical, chemical, and industrial processes. This study introduces an I–L junction for pipeline systems, fostering concurrent flow between branch-pipe injection and the main pipe bulk flow. In contrast to the conventional T-junction with perpendicular injection, the I–L design demonstrates high potential in mitigating vibration-induced fatigue risks, given an optimal branch-to-main pipe diameter ratio, rd. Using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations, the study assesses fluid mixing across a broad range of rd (1/12–1/2.5). The streamline geometry undergoes a transition from well-defined symmetric vortices to unsteady oscillations when the pipe diameters diverge beyond 1/4, arising from vortex shedding in the wake of the branch pipe. Despite the conventional T-junction showing a more homogeneous velocity distribution in the streamwise direction, its turbulent kinetic energy (TKE, both modeled and calculated from the resolved-scale velocities) near the junction is an order of magnitude larger, implying high overall inhomogeneity in the flow. The TKE decays rapidly to an equivalent level compared to the proposed I–L junction approaching discharge, indicating that the peaking of TKE in the T-junction does not significantly contribute to enhanced fluid mixing. Conversely, it can likely result in harmful vibrations inside the pipeline. While the turbulence statistics remain qualitatively unchanged for rd<1/4, an enlarged discrepancy in pipe diameters beyond rd<1/6 yields more favorable mean surface pressure coefficient, CP¯. The results provide insights into pipeline design, recommending an optimal pipe diameter ratio for enhanced mixing of successively collected fluids while retaining improved system reliability.